Disqualification Of Hon. Members Under Section 141 Of The Mental Health Act

That this House notes that, under Section 141 of the Mental Health Act 1983, an hon. Member is automatically disqualified from office if detained under the Act for six months regardless of the prospects of recovery, but that there are no similar provisions for physical illnesses, however debilitating; further notes the evidence in the July 2008 Report of the All-Party Group on Mental Health and Mental Health in Parliament, showing the impact of the stigma associated with mental illness on the willingness of hon. Members to disclose any experience of mental ill-health; believes Parliament should take a lead in combatting such stigma and that it is time to abolish the discriminatory message at the heart of British democracy, as recommended by the Speaker’s Conference on Parliamentary Representations; and calls on the Government to bring forward an amendment to the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill to repeal Section 141.

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